Socializing is one of the aspects of Chow Chow training that you will have to go through once your new furry friend comes home, basically involving teaching your dog how to get along with other people and other pets and animals, in general. It is important to undergo socializing training because your dog will meet all sorts of people and animals along the way. Knowing how to properly react whenever a new acquaintance comes along can help save you headaches in the future because of your dog.

Kinds of socialization

  • Puppy socialization – this kind of socialization has the most dramatic effect on your dog’s Chow Chow training because it involves the most critical months of its life, which is the first six months. Even more critical within this six-month period is that window of time between seven and 16 weeks. Within this tiny window, puppy socialization requires that you introduce your puppy as much as possible to the idea of other people and other animals being present around you. Make sure you socialize your puppy carefully though, keeping the setting safe and controlled so you can monitor how your puppy reacts, to which you can respond accordingly to ensure that proper behavior is learned. This period only comes once in a dog’s life so you have to make the most out of it.
  • Adolescent socialization – done when your dog is between six months and three years old, adolescent socialization is done when you bring home an older dog. Ideally, the breeder would’ve taken care of socializing your Chow Chow when it was still younger but in case it hasn’t, you can easily take care of it yourself. Just keep in mind that like people, an adolescent in Chow Chow training will be awkward, with attitudes changing possibly from week to week. Don’t be fazed! Like keeping a human teenager at bay, you just have to be firm with an adolescent Chow Chow.
  • Adult socialization – while pretty much late in the Chow Chow training picture, adult socialization can still change how your dog behaves towards other people and animals. However, keep in mind that it may also be too late to do anything about how your dog reacts to other people and animals. Persistence is key though so don’t give up!

Factors that affect training

How successful you are with Chow Chow training is mainly determined by how hard you work. Sure, it’s going to be hard at first but your hard work will eventually pay off. To give you an idea though of what can affect the success of your training session, some of the factors you will have to take into account include the kind of breed your dog is, the parents of your dogs (temperament is genetic so how your dog’s parents behave will give you an idea of what it would be like with your dog), and the duration of time that your dog was with its mother and siblings. Mothers are attuned to teach their puppies certain basics within the first seven weeks so it would be ideal if your dog was at least seven weeks when weaned out of its litter to make sure that the basics are in place. Without the basics, you’re looking at a harder time training your beloved Chow Chow.